October 26th 2009
Who would like this book? People who like futuristic fantasies that seem like they could be the actual future.
Why? This book is very good because it has references like “we ran out of gas” or “we melted the icecaps because of global warming.” These things make it seem like the events in the book could actually be the real future for us if we don’t change our ways. People in the future had to make Sky Cities because the ice caps melted and the water rose. Read this book if you want to know what the world might be like if we don’t take care of it.
The details: 345 p. 2002 Submitted by Michael R.
October 11th 2009
Review by Michael R.
Who would like this book? People who have read the first book in the series (The Hunger Games) and liked it.
Why? Catching Fire is just as good as The Hunger Games, if not better. There are more twists and turns than a road through mountains. We learn new things about Katniss and Peeta and almost feel like we are in the book. To really enjoy this book you must first read The Hunger Games. In Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta repeatedly make the government mad at them so Katniss and Peeta agree to marry each other so they will not be killed. When the pictures of Katniss in her wedding dress appear, President Snow tells people that at the next Quarter Quell only the previous winners of the reaping will be put into the lottery. Of course Katniss, being the only female from District 12, gets picked. Read this great book to find out more.
The details:391 p. 2009 Submitted by Michael R.
October 1st 2009
Review by Michael F.
Who would like this book? People who are fine with a slow start a fast paced action in the middle, and a cliff hanger ending. This book is for you.
Why? The Hunger Games is all about a girl named Katniss who is drawn for her District in a game called the Hunger Games. Every year two people from each district are chosen to go to the Hunger Games and either make allies or fight to the death. During the Hunger Games, Katniss teams up with a boy named Peta and a girl name Reu.
The details: 374 p. 2008 Review by Michael F.
October 1st 2009
Review by Samantha
Who would like this book? Someone who likes dark mysteries.
Why? This fantasy-mystery-thriller interwines the ordinary life of normal kids with the fantastical element of a covert war waged over a time-travel paradox….Haddix is just amazing!!!!
The details: 313 p. 2009 Submitted by Samantha
October 1st 2009
Review by Michael
Who would like this book? Boys and girls in eighth grade or older.
Why? Marcus, Darrell, Van, and Jolu get caught in a terrorist explosion in San Francisco. As they are taken away they are detained by government officers. Marcus gets picked out and they take him to a prison for questioning. When he gets out he is told that they will be watching him. Then Marcus makes the X-net a free internet service that makes your data encrypted to everybody except you. Marcus then meets Ange who becomes his girlfriend. I would recommend this book to older people.
The details: 380 p. 2008 Submitted by Michael
September 21st 2009
Review by Michael R.
Who would like this book? Both boys and girls who like science fiction or books with young teenage characters.
Why? Ellie is a prisoner in a spaceship. She’s being held there by Mal Gorman, who is threatening to kill her and her brother, Mika. Mika and their parents live in the Shadows, a slum in futuristic London where it’s always dark and very crowded. They live in a fold-down apartment. Mika is being trained to use pod-fighters and is great at video games. This book is great.
The details: 544 p. 2009 Submitted by Michael R,
September 13th 2009
Who would like this book? Readers who enjoyed Found, the first book in the Missing series, will not want to miss this second book.
Why? In a fast-paced though sometimes confusing sequel to Found, Alex and Chip have been sent back to 1483 and discover that they are Prince Richard and Prince Edward V, the two young victims who were imprisoned in the Tower of London by their uncle, Richard III. If you are not familiar with this event in English history, I suggest that you start by reading the Author’s Note at the end of the book. It won’t give anything away and will make it easier to follow the plot. I also suggest that you first read Found so that you can get the background of the characters and why they are traveling through time. Jonah and Katherine from Found are back in Sent. They also plunge back to the fifteenth century, determined to bring Alex and Chip back home. Alex and Chip, though, begin to feel that medieval England is their home, especially as they become involved with the political intrigue that is keeping Chip/Edward V from the throne. I was intrigued by the fusion of their current and past identities, and by Haddix’s work with the vague historical events. It’s a worthwhile reading adventure, but be prepared to wade through some confusing scenes.
The details: 313 p. 2009 Review by Samrarian
August 13th 2009
Who would like this book? Anyone aged 12 and up who likes a fast-paced, humorous, moving action-adventure with a sci-fi feel and who thinks that being able to fly would be cool.
Why? Fourteen-year-old Max (Maximum Ride) is the leader of her adopted family: Fang and Iggy, both 13, Nudge, 11, Gazzy, 8, and Angel, 6. In most ways, the six are normal kids and teenagers, with Max trying hard to be a responsible parent figure. Max, the narrator of most of the story, tells us right off that they are not normal: they are products of an experiment that has mixed 2% bird into their DNA. Their early years were spent in cages in an inhumane institution called the School. Jeb, a seemingly sympathetic scientist, took them away to their remote Colorado “home” for a somewhat normal life but has disappeared. Max is in the process of getting the kids their breakfast when they are ambushed by Erasers, part-human, part-wolf predators, who kidnap Angel. The family must, of course, rescue Angel and somehow defeat the Erasers and the powerful scientists of the Institute. Though Max has the dominant voice, each member of the family tells part of the story and emerges as a distinct human-bird character. It’s hard not to love each one of them, especially as they uncover their longing for their real parents and their need for super amounts of food. They’re smart, strong, and talented, but it never feels like a sure bet that they can defeat the Erasers. They make sure that they have some good times along the way, developing some surprising alliances in the air. It has a cliffhanger ending, so be ready to jump right to the second book in the series, School’s Out Forever.
The details: 440 p. 2005 Review by Samrarian
A Battle of the Books selection for 2009-2010
June 29th 2009
Who would like this book? Readers (grade 7 and up) interested in medical mysteries with a science fiction edge will find this book fascinating. Also, if you like books by Jodi Piccoult, give this one a try.
Why? Jenna Fox, 17, has been in a terrible accident. She has recently awoken from a coma and is slowly beginning to remember bits and pieces of who she is. As she tries to get answers for her most significant question,”Who is Jenna Fox?”, her mother and grandmother make things difficult for her with their secrecy and unexplained behavior. For instance, they have recently moved across the continent to California, even though her father must continue his work as a cutting edge medical doctor in Boston. Pearson narrates this riveting story through Jenna’s present-tense voice, allowing the reader to experience firsthand her confusion, anger, struggles, and realizations.The tight focus on Jenna, her immediate family, a neighbor, and a few friends at the alternative school that her mother allows her to attend reflects the narrow world in which Jenna must live. Why is she so protected? Why do her parents keep so many secrets? Why does her grandmother stay so distant? Why do her hands feel so strange? Why does she remember all the details about Thoreau’s Walden Pond but nothing about her high school friends? Questions pile up, and the narration does occasionally buckle under their weight, but when the answers start coming fast and a couple of the characters step up in surprising ways, any doubt about the worth of this book falls quickly away. It’s an unnerving view of the possibilities of medicine in the future and a springboard for discussion of medical ethics.
The details: 288 p. 2009 Submitted by Samrarian
May 25th 2009
Review by Monica
Who would like this book? Someone who likes science fiction, video games, and stories with very action oriented plots.
Why? Aliens invaded Russia. No one knew, and everyone figured it was political problems. That is, until aliens attacked England and conquered Europe. Now the aliens are in the United States. The aliens are called Chimera, and with them they’ve brought a virus, turning humans into Chimera. Nathan Hale, who is immune to the virus, is a veteran of the war and fought in England. He has an important mission, and he has to retrieve Chimera technology from a wrecked Chimera ship to make better weapons. Along with him is a scientist, which he must make sure lives.
Along with the war, a conspiracy rages with the politicians, and that’s the choice whether or not to give the rest of the world up to the aliens, and let the United States be untouched.
Will this bad idea come into plan? Will the Chimera take over earth? And will Hale and the scientist survive their mission? Read “Resistance” to find out.
The details: 352 p. 2009 Submitted by Monica
Not yet available in the CY Library